This invention relates to digital cameras, and more particularly to a digital camera which is adapted particularly to record, for example, image data into a memory card.
There is a disclosure as one example of a conventional digital camera of this kind in Japanese Laying-Open Patent Publication No. H9-27940 [H04N 5/91, 5/278, 5/765, 5/781, 5/907] laid open to the public on Jan. 28, 1997. This prior art is intended to composite title image data previously recorded in a title memory card with newly-photographed image data so that the image data thus composited is recorded in a photograph-image memory card.
In such a prior art, however, the title image data is recorded in an exclusive memory card, while the composite image data is recorded to a separate memory card. Therefore, there is inconvenience in controlling or handle the image data.
Therefore, it is the object of this invention to provide a digital camera with which the image data is easy to control or handle.
This invention is a digital camera, comprising: a recording medium for holding special image data; a photograph designating means for designating a photographing; a photographing means for photographing a subject in response to an output of the photograph designating means; a photograph image recording means for recording photograph image data outputted from the photographing means into the recording medium; a compositing designating means for designating to composite the special image data with the photograph image data; a compositing means for compositing the special image data with the photograph image data in response to an output of the compositing designating means; and a composite image recording means for recording composite image data composited by the compositing means into the recording medium.
If a photographing of a subject is designated, a photograph image data is outputted from the photographing means. This photograph image data is recorded into the recording medium by the photograph image recording means. The recording medium is stored also with special image data. If a designation of image compositing is given, the compositing means composites the special image data with the photograph image data.
In one aspect of this invention, the special image data has a first resolution, and the photograph image data having at least one of the first resolution and a second resolution. The compositing means brings the photograph image data and the special image data into coincidence in resolution with each other depending upon a resolution of the photograph image data, and composites these image data after completing the adjustment.
In one embodiment of this invention, the special image data has a first file name including a first discriminator. The photographed image recording means adds a second file name including a second discriminator to the photographed image data, while the composite image recording means adds another second file name including the second discriminator to the composite image data. Incidentally, the special image data is, for example, template image data.
In another aspect of this invention, when a reproduction is designated, the reading means reads the first file name and the second file name out of the recording medium. A classifying means classifys a file name read out by the reading means according to a discriminator affixed to the file name. With referrence to a result of classification thus obtained, the reproducing means reproduces predetermined image data on a display.
This invention is a digital camera arranged to record image data into a recording medium, comprising: a photographing means for photographing a subject and outputting photograph image data; a normal photograph designating means for designating a normal photographing; a special photograph designating means for designating a special photographing; a photograph image recording means for recording the photograph image data into the recording medium in response to a designation of the normal photographing; a creating means for creating special image data from the photograph image data in response to a designation of the special photograph; a special image recording means for recording the special image data into the recording medium; a compositing designating means for designating a compositing of the special image data with the photograph image data; a compositing means for compositing the special image data with the photograph image data in response to an output of the compositing designating means; and a composite image recording means for recording composite image data composited by the compositing means into the recording medium.
If a normal photographing is designated, the photograph image recording means records the photograph image data outputted from the photographing means into the recording medium. On the other hand, if a special photographing is designated, the creating means first creates special image data from the photograph image data, and the special image recording means records the special image data into the recording medium. If a compositing designation is given, the compositing means composites the special image data with the photograph image data, and the composite image recording means records the composite image data into the recording medium.
In one aspect of this invention, the photographing means performs a photographing at any one of a first resolution and a second resolution in response to a designation of the normal photographing, and a photographing at the first resolution in response to a designation of the special photographing. The compositing means brings the photograph image data and the special image data into coincidence in resolution with each other depending upon a resolution of the photograph image data.
In one embodiment of this invention, the creating means binarizes the photograph image data, and removes a predetermined frequency component of the binarized data. As a result, special image data is created. The creating means also adds protecting information to the special image data. This prevents the special image data from being unintentionally deleted. Incidentally, the special image data is title image data.
According to this invention, since the special image data and the photograph image data are recorded in a same recording medium, it is possible to easily control or manage the image data.
The above described objects and other objects, features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the present invention when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.